There is an “expectation” that Manchester United will sell Alejandro Garnacho this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Red Devils’ dismal season reached a painful nadir on Wednesday night in the Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur as Ange Postecoglou’s side emerged 1-0 winners in Bilbao.
Despite United making the decision to essentially tank their domestic campaign in favour of prioritising success in Europe, the team failed to turn up at the San Mames Stadium.
Ruben Amorim failed to inspire a performance from his side worthy of the occasion as the Portuguese coach watched United deliver a listless performance that was decided by a deflected goal.
One of the biggest calls Amorim made was to start Mason Mount in place of Garnacho, who had played a pivotal role in helping the Reds reach the final with a number of decisive moments throughout the earlier rounds of the tournament.
To add insult to injury, the former Sporting manager only brought Garnacho on with 19 minutes left to play. But the effect the Argentinian international produced was immediate, at least in comparison to the anonymous display of Mount for the previous 71 minutes.
When asked about this decision in a post-match press-conference, Amorim responded in an irritated fashion, referencing a chance Garnacho had missed in the semi-final against Athletic Club as part of his explanation.
“How many times have we had this conversation and it was the opposite? Some players come in, like Mason Mount, against Bilbao and changed the game. So now it is easy to say. Who missed the big opportunity in the first half against Bilbao? Yeah [Garnacho].
“Of course, now it is easy for us to talk about a lot of views. I just look at the game and try to manage things and improve the team and try to win games. I can see it both ways. I remember everything about the past so it is easy for me to respond to that question.”
Garnacho was evidently unhappy with both the decision and rationale, suggesting an exit was on his mind as he would see “what happens next” this summer in his own post-match interview.
“Obviously it’s hard for everyone. Our season was s–t. We didn’t beat anyone in the league. We lacked a lot of things. When you don’t score goals, you always need more. Until we reached the final, I played every round. And I played 20 minutes today – I don’t know. I’m going to try to enjoy the summer and see what happens next.”
The 20-year-old winger’s brother also took to social media to accuse Amorim of “throw[ing] him under the bus”.
Garnacho and his representatives are set for showdown talks with Old Trafford officials in the next few days over his future but Romano suggests a decision may already have been made.
The Italian transfer guru states there is a “more and more concrete chance” Garnacho will leave this summer with an “expectation” that United will sell the winger.
“Garnacho is not happy with the current situation, [based on] on what he said after the [Europa League] final it is very clear. Also the quotes from Ruben Amorim after the final are really strong.
“In January there were possibilities with Chelsea and Napoli interested in the player, but nothing happened. This summer can be different. This summer Alejandro Garnacho can leave Manchester United with a good proposal for the player and the club.”
“Keen an eye on this because the expectation is for Garnacho to leave Manchester United,” Romano concludes.
Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
